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Friday, April 29, 2016

One Dangerous Desire by Christy Carlyle Blog Tour

In a bet between two old flames...

Rex Leighton dominates the boardroom by day and prowls the ballroom at night.
Searching for the perfect bride to usher him into the aristocracy, he abandoned
the idea of love the last time he saw the delicious May Sedgwick. But when he’s
roped into a bet, where the prize is the means to fund his greatest ambition
and the stakes are a marriage he’s already planning for, Rex is willing to go
all in. There’s just one problem—he’s competing against the only woman he’s
ever loved.

Only love can take it all

May Sedgwick could be the belle of the season...if she cared. She is more
interested in the art studio than the marriage market and her craving to pursue
her passion far outweighs her wish for a titled husband. Winning this bet will
finally allow May to follow her true artistic desires. Rex losing is just a
side benefit, as are his breathtaking kisses that she just can’t resist.

When May is forced to choose between the dream she never knew she wanted and
the man she’s never been able to forget, Rex must convince her desire is worth
a bit of danger.

Rex is an American who came to his mother's homeland six years ago to start a
different life for himself. After struggling to survive in an orphanage and on
the streets of NYC, Rex is a self-made man. Changing his name, leaving
everything behind, he amasses great wealth, but now he needs to marry a titled
woman who could gain him access to investors.

May is her father's daughter, determined and fiscally minded. She moved to
London from NYC a year ago to make a titled match after being left behind six
years ago by her one true love. With it just May and her father, both wish to
uphold her mother's dream for her daughter to be titled, even if the daughter
would rather be a businesswoman instead.

One Dangerous Desire is how May and
Rex both need something the other can't provide, but can't seem to pull
themselves away from the other.

Christy Carlyle is a new-to-me author, and I found her pacing swift, the flow
of her words fluid, and the story enjoyable. May and Rex played off each other
well, push-pull romance filled with banter and longing. The author plucked the
heartstrings a few times, had me smiling with the warm and fuzzy, blushing with
the steamy scenes, and laughing unexpectedly.

While the scenes moved rather quickly to the next, there was some redundancy as
it felt drawn out (the initial plot) to the point the reader knew the
conclusion but the hero and heroine weren't getting there fast enough. The plot
couldn't support the page-length. But near the last quarter, new elements of
conflict were introduced to add an exciting level of angst, and I breezed right
straight through to the end and enjoyed every moment of it.

Recommended for fans of the modern writing style of historical romance.

Will I read more by this author, or continue with this series? Yes, absolutely.
I'm interested in what comes next. As this was my first read by the author, and
it was the third in the series, I plan to backtrack and read books one &
two in my downtime.

Fueled by Pacific Northwest coffee and inspired by multiple viewings of every
British costume drama she can get her hands on, Christy Carlyle writes
sensual historical romance set in the Victorian era. She loves heroes who
struggle against all odds and heroines who are ahead of their time. A former
teacher with a degree in history, she finds there’s nothing better than being
able to combine her love of the past with a die-hard belief in happy endings.

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